NEGOTIATIONS ON CONVENTION TO PROHIBIT USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS CALLED FOR IN TEXT INTRODUCED IN DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/DIS/3152

NEGOTIATIONS ON CONVENTION TO PROHIBIT USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS CALLED FOR IN TEXT INTRODUCED IN DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE

Texts Also Introduced on Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Mediterranean Security, Landmine Convention, Science and Security

The General Assembly, stressing that an international convention prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons would be an important step towards their elimination, would reiterate its request to the Conference on Disarmament to begin negotiating an international agreement banning the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, according to one of five draft resolutions introduced this morning in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security).

The other texts introduced dealt with: the role of science and technology in the context of international security; establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East; strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region; and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention).

Introducing the draft on a nuclear weapons convention, the representative of India said the text went to the “very core of the nuclearized global order”, which had persisted more than a decade after the end of the cold war. Nuclear weapons continued to be viewed as a legitimate “currency of power”, with certain States claiming the right to possess them in perpetuity. Any ambiguity, which might be used to justify their use, must be removed. She urged the international community to take decisive steps to delegitimize nuclear weapons as an essential element in the step-by-step process leading to the elimination of those weapons.

A draft resolution on the role of science and technology, in the context of international security, would have the Assembly affirm that scientific and technological progress should be used for the benefit of all mankind to promote the sustainable economic and social development of all States and to safeguard international security. In that connection, it would urge Member States to undertake multilateral negotiations with the participation of all interested States in order to establish universally acceptable, non-discriminatory guidelines for international transfers of dual-use goods and technologies and high technology with military applications.

Also introducing that text, the representative of India said that the discriminatory control regime had burdened developing countries seeking access to scientific and technological advances for development purposes. Exclusive

First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3152 15th Meeting (AM) 25 October 1999

groupings of countries had limited the exchanges of such technologies among themselves, while denying access to others that might require them for peaceful development. Those regimes had imposed non-economic barriers to normal trade and generally accepted principles of global economic relations. Questions had arisen over whether those exclusive arrangements had truly achieved their stated purpose of strengthening the international non-proliferation regime, especially with regard to scientific and technological applications associated with advanced weapons, as well as weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means.

By the terms of a draft resolution introduced by the representative of Egypt, on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, the Assembly would urge all parties directly concerned to consider seriously taking the practical and urgent steps required for the implementation of the proposal to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East and, as a means of promoting that objective, invite concerned countries to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Pending the zone’s establishment, it would invite those countries not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or permit the stationing on their territories, or territories under their control, of nuclear weapons or nuclear-explosive devices.

By the terms of a 94-Power draft resolution, tabled by the representative of Mozambique, on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention), the Assembly would urge all States that had signed but not ratified the Convention to ratify it without delay, and invite all States that had not signed the Convention to accede to it without delay. It would stress the importance of the full and effective implementation of, and compliance with, the Convention, and urge all States parties to provide the Secretary-General with complete and timely information as required in article 7 of the Convention, in order to promote transparency and compliance with the Convention.

[Under article 7, States parties are required to provide the Secretary- General, within 180 days after the treaty's entry into force, a detailed report of its anti-personnel mine stockpiles, mined areas and steps taken to protect nearby populations, demining and destruction programmes, destruction inventories, and technical characteristics of mines produced or possessed to facilitate mine clearance.]

Under a draft text, introduced by the representative of Algeria, on strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region, the Assembly would reaffirm that security in the Mediterranean was closely linked to European security, as well as to international peace and security. It would call on all States of the region to adhere to all the multilaterally negotiated legal instruments related to the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, thus, creating the necessary conditions for strengthening peace and cooperation in the region. It would also encourage those States to build confidence by promoting genuine openness and transparency on all military matters by participating in, among other things, the United Nations system for the standardized reporting of military expenditures and by providing accurate data to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.

First Committee - 1b - Press Release GA/DIS/3152 15th Meeting (AM) 25 October 1999

A statement was made by the representative of Uruguay concerning the Ottawa Convention text.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 26 October, to continue the thematic discussion of all disarmament and security issues and the introduction of all related drafts.

Committee Work Programme

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to continue its thematic discussion and consideration of all disarmament- and security-related draft resolutions. It is expected to hear the introduction of draft resolutions concerning: a convention on the prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons; the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East; the role of science and technology in the context of international security and disarmament, strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region; and the treaty banning anti-personnel mines.

The current phase will extend through Friday, 29 October. It combines the thematic discussion with consideration of drafts, as part of a reform to streamline the Committee's work. The third and final stage of its work, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, 1 November, will be action on all disarmament draft resolutions.

By the terms of a draft resolution on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention) (document A/C.1/54/L.2), the General Assembly would urge all States that had signed but not ratified the Convention to ratify it without delay, and invite all States that had not signed the Convention to accede to it without delay. It would stress the importance of the full and effective implementation of, and compliance with, the Convention, and urge all States parties to provide the Secretary-General with complete and timely information as required in article 7 of the Convention, in order to promote transparency and compliance with the Convention.

[Under article 7, States parties are required to provide the Secretary- General, within 180 days after the treaty's entry into force, a detailed report of its anti-personnel landmine stockpiles, mined areas and steps taken to protect nearby populations, demining and destruction programmes, destruction inventories, and technical characteristics of mines produced or possessed to facilitate mine clearance.]

In a related provision, the Assembly would renew its call upon all States and other relevant parties to work together to promote, support and advance the care, rehabilitation and social and economic reintegration of mine victims, mine awareness programmes, and the removal of anti-personnel mines placed throughout the world and the assurance of their destruction. It would invite all States that had not ratified or acceded to the Convention to provide, on a voluntary basis, information to make global mine-action efforts more effective.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Sao Tome and Principe, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

By the terms of a draft resolution sponsored by Egypt, on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East (document A/C.1/54/L.7), the Assembly would urge all parties directly concerned to consider seriously taking the practical and urgent steps required for the implementation of the proposal to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East, in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, and as a means of promoting that objective, invited the countries concerned to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

The Assembly would call upon all countries of the region that had not done so, pending the establishment of the zone, to agree to place all their nuclear activities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Further, pending the zone’s establishment, the Assembly would also invite those countries not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or permit the stationing on their territories, or territories under their control, of nuclear weapons or nuclear-explosive devices. It would invite the nuclear-weapon States and all other States to render their assistance in the establishment of the zone and, at the same time, to refrain from any action that ran counter to both the letter and the spirit of the present text.

Under a text sponsored by Algeria on strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region (document A/C.1/54/L.15), the Assembly would reaffirm that security, in the Mediterranean was closely linked to European security, as well as to international peace and security. It would call on all States of the region to adhere to all the multilaterally negotiated legal instruments related to the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, thus creating the necessary conditions for strengthening peace and cooperation in the region. It would encourage those States to build confidence by promoting genuine openness and transparency on all military matters by participating in, among other things, the United Nations system for the standardized reporting of military expenditures and by providing accurate data to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.

The Assembly would also encourage those countries to strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism, which seriously threatened regional peace, security and stability, in order to improve the current political, economic and social situation. It would commend their efforts in meeting common challenges and encourage them to strengthen such efforts through a lasting multilateral and action-oriented dialogue among States of the region.

The Assembly would express its satisfaction at the continuing efforts by those countries to eliminate the cause of regional tension and promote just and lasting solutions to the persistent regional problems through peaceful means, thus ensuring the withdrawal of foreign forces of occupation and respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all Mediterranean countries and the right of peoples to self-determination. It would call for full adherence to the principles of non-interference, non-intervention, non-use of force or threat of use of force and the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

By the terms of a draft text on the role of science and technology in the context of international security (document A/C.1/54/L.32), the Assembly would affirm that scientific and technological progress should be used for the benefit of all mankind to promote the sustainable economic and social development of all States and to safeguard international security. In that connection, it would urge Member States to undertake multilateral negotiations with the participation of all interested States in order to establish universally acceptable, non-discriminatory guidelines for international transfers of dual-use goods and technologies and high technology with military applications.

In a related provision, the Assembly would invite Member States to undertake additional efforts to apply science and technology for disarmament-related purposes and to make such technologies available to interested States. United Nations bodies would be encouraged to contribute, within existing mandates, to promote the application of science and technology for peaceful purposes.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam.

According to a draft resolution on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons (document A/C.1/54/L.33) the Assembly, stressing that such an international convention would be an important step in a phased programme towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, within a specified framework of time, and noting with regret that the Conference on Disarmament during its 1999 negotiations had been unable to undertake such negotiations, would reiterate its request to the Conference to commence negotiations, in order to reach agreement on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal and Viet Nam.

Introduction of draft resolutions

JULIO BENITEZ SAENZ (Uruguay) spoke in support of the draft resolution on the Ottawa Convention (document A/C.1/54/L.2). He said that the countries of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and Bolivia and Chile -- were aware of the terrible damage caused by and continued to be caused by anti-personnel landmines. Six countries had undertaken to move forward towards the consecration of MERCOSUR as a zone free of anti-personnel landmines, a zone that would eventually encompass the rest of the Western hemisphere. If that were accomplished, it would become the first region of the planet free from that scourge.

He said that the implementation and generalization of the Ottawa Convention was the essential task. Elimination of landmines was one of the greatest challenges in the reconstruction of societies in post-conflict stages. The countries that made up MERCOSUR had faced the risks of those weapons and suffered their casualties. Landmines obeyed no ceasefire. Rather, their deplorable effects were seen in the casualties of mutilated woman and children. Every effort should be made for their removal and to make sure that assistance to victims became a reality. The Ottawa Convention provided the framework, but the essential element in the removal of landmines was personnel, and the creation of secure environment.

ABDELKADER MESDOUA (Algeria) introduced the draft resolution on security and cooperation in the Mediterranean (document A/C1/154/L.15). He said the resolution manifested the collective will of the co-sponsors to make the Mediterranean a “lake of peace”. The Mediterranean and European countries were continuing their dialogue and joint efforts to cast the foundations for the final objectives of peace and prosperity in the region.

FERNANDO CHOMAR (Mozambique) introduced the resolution on the Ottawa Convention (document A/C.1/54/L.2). Thus far, the Ottawa process had been a commendable success, he said. It was of paramount importance that the momentum be sustained, especially because the most difficult phase of the whole process -- that of implementation -- still lay ahead. The progress made, the achievement of the ambitious goal of complete elimination of landmines, could only be possible through the universalization of the Convention.

The purpose of the resolution, he said, was to keep the current momentum of the process called by the second meeting of State parties to the Convention next year in Geneva, which could look into practical issues of implementation. The resolution also urged State parties to provide complete and timely information in the Convention to promote transparency and compliance with the Convention, as well as renew the invitation to all States that had not signed to do so without delay. It also reminded States of the commitments undertaken to support and advance the care, rehabilitation and reintegration of landmines victims.

The countries affected by anti-personnel mines, he said, were determined to attain the objectives enshrined in the Ottawa Convention. That was possible with the support of the international community, not only by providing financial and technical assistance, but also by sparing no effort to totally ban the production and transfer of those lethal weapons.

SAVITRI KUNADI (India) introduced the draft resolution on the role of sicence and technology in the context of international security and disarmament (document A/C.1/54/L.32). She said her country had traditionally co-sponsored the text on the issue, which was of importance to the international community and to the developing world. The growth of science and technology had offered immense possibilities for development, but, at the same time, there was a need to recognize that several of those advances were of a dual-use nature and could have military applications.

She said that access to scientific and technological advances for development purposes had remained a priority of developing countries. In fact, such access was an impetus for economic growth and could have a positive impact on global trade. At the same time, several developing countries had had to pay a cost in terms of development, because of the persistence of discriminatory control regimes. In effect, those were no more than exclusive groupings of countries that had limited the exchanges of such technologies among themselves, while denying access to others that might require them for peaceful, developmental purposes. Those regimes were often non-economic barriers to normal trade and went against the generally accepted principles of global economic relations.

Exclusive export-control policies had been initiated to address proliferation concerns at a time when there were no global agreements that comprehensively addressed that issue, she said. Questions had arisen over whether such exclusive arrangements, with limited membership and ostensibly temporary, had been truly effective in achieving their stated purpose of strengthening the international non-proliferation regime, especially with regard to scientific and technological applications associated with advanced weapons, as well as weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means.

She said the Prohibition of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention) -- the first multilateral disarmament agreement of a universal character eliminating a complete class of weapons of mass destruction -- had offered an opportunity to put in place a multilaterally negotiated, non-discriminatory legal mechanism that would simultaneously address proliferation concerns emanating from unregulated transfers, while, at the same time, promoting the economic development of States parties. The Chemical Weapons Convention had obligated States parties to review their export policies as measures undertaken to prevent the spread of chemical materials and equipment for purposes contrary to the objectives of the Convention. However, the persistence of certain ad hoc control regimes -- creating a dual category of States parties to that Convention -- had stressed the need for early implementation of all the treaty’s provisions to safeguard its long-term viability and effectiveness.

She noted that ongoing negotiations for an effective protocol to strengthen the effectiveness and improve the implementation of the 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (Biological Weapons Convention) had provided the States parties with an opportunity to put in place an effective system to regulate the transfers of agents, toxins, equipment and technologies relevant to the Convention, while avoiding measures that hampered the economic development of States parties. The negotiations should also benefit from the lessons learned from the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention since its entry into force.

The lack of a genuinely non-discriminatory universal agreement regarding nuclear weapons had also reduced the effectiveness of non-proliferation efforts in the nuclear field, she said. Nuclear non-proliferation in all its aspects could not be divorced from the need for measures that promoted nuclear disarmament and the progressive elimination of nuclear weapons. Without such a disarmament benchmark, nuclear non-proliferation had not only been difficult to implement, but to measure, as well. Her country had consistently maintained that proliferation concerns regarding materials and technologies related to advanced weapon systems, weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means were best addressed through multilaterally negotiated, non-discriminatory agreements which were transparent and open to universal participation. The reflection of that principle in multilateral disarmament agreements would not only improve their effectiveness, but also create an added impetus for their universality.

She said that, although the Secretary-General’s report on the subject of the role of science and technology in the context of international security and disarmament had not contained a conclusion, its substantive sections had reconfirmed the conclusion of the 1990 report that had underlined that the international community must remain seized of the issue, if it was to find a way to allow technology the freedom to develop and, at the same time, ensure that technological advances promoted, rather than risked, future international peace and security. With a view to promoting consideration of the issues at hand, her country, along with the co-sponsors of the draft, hoped it would receive wide support.

MOTAZ ZAHRAN (Egypt) introduced the draft resolution on a nuclear-weapon- free zone in the Middle East (document A/C.1/54/L.7). He said that such a zone had been unanimously anticipated for over 18 years, testifying to the overwhelming support for it. However, the objective had been elusive. No concrete measures, no operational measures and no serious talks had yet been held, formally or informally, among the regional parties with a view to putting that aspiration into practice.

Despite general frustration over the stagnation, however, he said that his country firmly supported implementation of the resolution. That endorsement, though, should not be misconstrued as tacit acquiescence. His Government continued to be committed to the earliest establishment and implementation of the principles and provisions for a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East and, indeed, a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction. In a region fraught with such tension, such a zone could not be looked upon as a peace dividend, but as an essential confidence-building measure that helped facilitate and led the way towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.

In light of the adoption by consensus by the Disarmament Commission of the principles and guidelines on the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, he said, he deemed it appropriate to introduce a new eleventh preambular paragraph to that effect, by noting the report of the 1999 substantive session of the Commission and welcoming the adoption therein of the “Principles and Guidelines”. Operative paragraph 10 of the draft resolution endeavoured again to utilize the offices of the Secretary-General to inject the required impetus to the process. He hoped that the resolution would receive the same support as in previous years, and that it would be adopted, as previously, without a vote.

Ms. KUNADI (India) next introduced the draft resolution on a convention prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons (document A/C.1/54/L.33). She said the draft “goes to the very core of the nuclearized global order”, which had persisted even beyond a decade after the end of the cold war. Nuclear weapons had continued to be viewed as legitimate “currency of power”, with certain States claiming the right to possess them in perpetuity. Doctrines of their first use had been reaffirmed, even though the threat perceptions that had originally given rise to them had long disappeared. Some countries had reserved the right to use nuclear weapons first, even against non-nuclear threats and threats from other weapons of mass destruction.

She said there was a need to address that threat to humanity at various levels. At the level of political commitments backed by legally binding agreements, it was important for a reorientation of nuclear doctrines towards a no-first use and no-use, thus, delegitimizing nuclear weapons globally. The 1996 historic advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice had made international humanitarian law applicable to the use of nuclear weapons. At the Rome Conference last year on the Statute of the International Criminal Court, her country’s proposal that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons should be a crime under the Statute had been rejected. Any ambiguity that might be used to justify the use of nuclear weapons must be removed. Also, the international community should take decisive steps to delegitimize nuclear weapons as an essential element in the step-by-step process, leading to the elimination of those weapons. There was, thus, a need for a legally binding instrument prohibiting their use or threat. The draft resolution had promoted a measure that would have far-reaching significance and, perhaps, constitute the first nuclear-disarmament agreement, she said. Her delegation, along with those of the co-sponsors, had expressed the hope that the text would receive the widest possible support. A positive vote for the resolution would constitute a vote of confidence that the international community could take decisive steps on the path towards ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

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